Park Chow

1240 9th Avenue (at Irving)

Tel: 415-665-9912

I've recently moved, from the hustle of SOMA to the lackadaisical hills of Cole Valley. I'm already missing the homeless person that lived on my roof, the constant construction noise from the loft development next to my old place -- at least I got out before the building was completed and the feckless yahoos move it -- but when the longing for grime gets too much, at least there are a few good restaurants in these parts to comfort me.

Best of the bunch so far is Park Chow, on 9th & Iriving, which seems to be quite the Sunset culinary nook. It's a relaxed and pleasant place filled with relaxed and pleasant people. Don't worry though, it definitely has its good points. The decor, very California modern. A fireplace blazes on the warmest of days. Soft wood and muted green, long fans rotate above. Very relaxing. All the staff seem to be incredibly happy people; the tips must be good down this way. They'll smile and beam, suggest and chat. Flourishing some strange beer I decided to half with a friend (it comes in a wine-sized bottle), the waitress quipped, "Once you've had a Belgian, you'll never go back" -- I managed to bite my tongue and just drink. It turns out she may not be wrong.

As this is a restaurant review after all, some mention of the food is in order. The salmon came crisped on the outside, gelatinous pink in the middle (a good thing, really), you could suck the mashed potatoes through a straw. Follow up visits saw me wolf down one of the world's best Caesar salads and slurp some lumpy vegetarian minestrone. Everything I stole from my friends plates was top notch also. "It's all good," as they often say here.

So next time your out in the boondocks, check it out. If you can't get a seat there's always 'Raw' a couple of doors down, where they don't cook the food -- a great place to go with your pets and vegan friends, I hear.

Gary Burns

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